Forever and Always
by THGgoddess4ever
Summary: One-shot. Set to the song Forever and Always by Parachute. Peeta promised Katniss forever, but will a tragic accident cause him to break his promise or will their love keep them together forever and always?


**FOREVER AND ALWAYS**

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**Written By: THGgoddess4ever**

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**Author's Note: I know it has been awhile since I uploaded anything. I am supposed to be working on finishing a story for another person but I am having trouble with Writer's Block and lack of inspiration for that story. I wrote this one-shot because after listening to the song Forever and Always by Parachute I could not rid myself of the need to put Katniss and Peeta into the song. That is the only reason that I even wrote and I am posting this. I actually started writing this about two months ago. I have had very little time to write or read lately and I hate that. I was unexpectedly asked to fill in for another teacher for the first few months of the school year. I am hoping that as the school years goes on things will calm down and I will have more time to write. Thank you to everyone who has stuck by me and continues to read my stories. **

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**Disclaimer: I do not own The Hunger Games characters or the song Forever and Always by Parachute. **

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Katniss taps her foot against the tile floor in the kitchen nervously. Peeta was supposed to be home two hours ago. The bakery closes at six thirty and his drive home is only about a half hour. Katniss has called around to everyone she knows. She called Johanna and Gale, her sister Prim, Peeta's parents and even the bakery's assistant manager Thresh and his wife Rue. No one had heard from Peeta yet. Katniss was really worried, Peeta was never late and he would have called if there was a problem. She began to think of all the reasons that he wasn't home yet. She knows something must be wrong.

_She's sitting at the table, the hours get later  
He was supposed to be here  
She's sure he would have called  
She waits a little longer, there's no one in the driveway  
No one's said they've seen him  
Why, is something wrong?_

She looks back towards the driveway hoping she will see his headlights as he pulls his car in. Instead all she sees is darkness and her heart sinks. She looks back at the dining room that was set for two people. She was planning to surprise him tonight with dinner and tell him the good news. Suddenly her phone rings, an unknown number with the same area code pops up on her phone and she hits answer. The voice isn't familiar but they ask if she is Katniss Everdeen. She tells them yes. They ask if she knows Peeta Mellark, she answers that he is her fiancé. The voice tells her she is a receptionist from the local hospital. The woman tells him that there was an accident and she should get here as soon as possible. Katniss can't keep it together and she lets the tears go as she hangs up the phone. She wraps her arms around her stomach, whispering to herself and the child that is growing inside her, Peeta's child, the surprise. She lets the tears flow freely as she grabs her car keys off the table and gets in the car. She wipes her eyes and starts the car, heading towards the hospital.

_She looks back to the window  
Suddenly the phone rings  
A voice says something's happened  
That she should come right now_

She thinks back to December when he asked her to marry him. She smiles as she thinks about Peeta getting down on one knee and pulling out the pearl ring. Everyone wondered why he didn't get a diamond but Katniss knows the significance. She rubs her finger over the pearl that sits perfectly in the intricately braided metal on her ring finger. Memories of all the moments they have shared run through her mind. She remembers Peeta saying he was going to be there through everything; the good, the bad, and the ugly. He was always talking about forever and always.

_Her mind goes to December  
She thinks of when he asked her  
He bent down on his knees first  
And he said:  
I want you forever, forever and always  
Through the good and the bad and the ugly  
We'll grow old together  
Forever and always._

She arrives at the hospital and parks the car by the emergency room. She walks in and walks to the front desk. She tells the woman her name and shows the overly bubbly woman her Driver's license. The woman gives her a sad smile as she unlocks the door and leads her down what seems like a million hallways. She keeps talking, telling Katniss all about how hard the doctors and nurses are working to help Peeta. Katniss doesn't hear it though; she can't seem to focus on anything. She takes a deep breath right outside the door to Peeta's room before she steps in. She tries to keep a straight face when she sees Peeta hooked up to a bunch of machines. His face is bruised and cut up and his heart beat is all over the place. The doctors explain to her that Peeta lost a lot of blood and they ended up having to amputate his leg. The operation didn't take long but it puts a lot of stress on the heart. He tells her that Peeta has a lot of internal bruising and a pretty bad concussion. The doctor says he should make it through the night since he is able to talk but they need to see how his heart reacts to the entire traumatic experience. She thanks the doctor and goes to sit down next to Peeta; she grips his hand tightly and he gives her a tired smile. The doctor and the nurses leave them alone and Katniss decides to tell Peeta the surprise. She places his battered hand on her stomach and tells him how she just found out this morning. He leans over slightly and kisses her forehead as they talk all about the baby. Katniss hopes that this will help Peeta fight to stay alive. They talk all about all the kids they plan to have and about the house on the hill they want to buy someday. Katniss and Peeta talk all about the life they want, the good life. They talk about growing old together and about staying with each other no matter what.

_She pulls up to the entrance  
She walks right to the front desk  
They lead her down a million halls, a maze that's never ending  
She tries to keep a straight face as she walks into the room  
She sits by his bedside, holds his hand too tight  
They talk about the kids they're gonna have and the good life  
The house on the hillside, where they would stay_…

_Stay there forever, forever and always  
Through the good and the bad and the ugly  
We'll grow old together, and always remember  
Whether rich or for poor or for better  
We'll still love each other, forever and always_

As she is sitting there Katniss thinks of an idea. Why should they wait to get married? They are having a child together, they're engaged and no one is 100% that Peeta is going to make it through this. She knows that this is what she needs to do. Peeta means the world to her and she knows how much marriage means to him. She gets up and walks into the hallway. She recognizes Peeta's nurse and pulls her aside; she tells the nurse to call the chaplain and tell them to come up. She tells her that she is planning an impromptu wedding with Peeta. She asks the couple sitting in the waiting room if she can temporarily borrow their wedding rings. After she explains the situation the couple hands her the rings and wish her good luck. She walks back into the room and the nurse is back and the chaplain is standing there. The nurse hands Katniss a white hospital gown that she puts on. Then the nurse helps her tie the dress shut with the long ribbon that was in her hair. She tells Peeta the idea and he gives her a tired but undeniably happy smile. The chaplain starts the impromptu ceremony and says all the verses he needs to and Katniss and Peeta repeat the verses they are supposed to. Everyone is laughing at some of the things said and the suddenness. Tears fall on the floor as the couple finishes their vows and share a chaste kiss. Peeta's breath becomes shallower but no one notices as Katniss and Peeta stare into each others' eyes. Their eyes say everything their mouths aren't at that moment.

_Then she gets an idea and calls in the nurses  
Brings up the chaplain and he says a couple verses  
She borrows some rings from the couple next door  
Everybody's laughing as the tears fall on the floor  
She looks into his eyes, and she says…  
I want you forever, forever and always  
Through the good and the bad and the ugly  
We'll grow old together, and always remember  
Whether happy or sad or whatever  
We'll still love each other, forever and always  
Forever and always, forever and always_

Suddenly loud beeps fill the room and the nurse snaps out of the haze that Katniss and Peeta's exchange caused. She looks at the heart monitor mounted on the wall. Peeta's heart rate is erratic and his blood pressure is too low. Katniss notices the change soon after when Peeta's shallow breaths become more labored and it is then she realizes that the beeps of the heart monitor are too slow. She holds his hand tighter and throws her head towards the sky and prays quietly. She prays for a miracle. Peeta squeezes her hand and she looks at him again. He starts to speak but his voice is too low and she can barely hear him. She leans in closer, holding his hand tighter as if it will make him better. He tells her that he will love her and their child forever and always. Even if he's not there to see and live through it all. He finishes speaking as his eyes begin fluttering shut and his grip loosens. A loud beep sounds throughout the room and Katniss drops Peeta's hand and falls to the floor. There's no way he can be gone; he promised her forever. Curled in a ball she thinks of the last words she heard him say.

_She finishes the vows but the beeps are getting too slow  
His voice is almost too low  
As he says, I love you forever, forever and always  
Please just remember even if I'm not there  
I'll always love you, forever and always_.

As she cries into her hands, she hears the commotion around her. She lifts her head from her hands and watches the scene unfold around her. Doctors scurry around and they set up everything quickly and yell clear as the doctor administers a shock to Peeta's stopped heart. The monitor shows a flurry of activity and they zap him again. A weak but noticeable heart beat appears and the doctors all hold their breath as they wait and see if Peeta's heart has started to work on its own again. The heartbeat picks up and starts to return to a normal pace. A group of loud relieved sighs fill the room as Peeta's blue eyes reopen. Katniss cries in happiness and thanks God over and over again for the miracle.

She returns to Peeta's bedside and stays there as long as she can. It's not until two weeks later Peeta is released from the hospital in a wheelchair. They go straight to the courthouse from the hospital and obtain a marriage license, making their marriage completely official. When they arrive home they go about making the house accessible. It takes months for Peeta to get used to missing a leg. He goes through endless days of physical therapy. As he learns how to walk again, Katniss' stomach continues to grow.

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About 7 months after Peeta is released from the hospital the couple finds themselves back at the same hospital but this time for a lot happier of an occasion. After hours of labor and checking on the baby the young couple sits holding their newborn daughter. The baby who everyone believes brought her father back, her name actually derives from the Old Testament- it means father's joy. The nurses who took care of Peeta in the ICU come by and visit, each of them carrying presents for Abigail Hope Mellark. The chaplain who lead Katniss and Peeta's impromptu wedding comes up and talks to Peeta for a little while before blessing Abigail. Katniss' cousin Gale and his wife Johanna stop by and visit followed by both Katniss and Peeta's parents. The last person to visit before the family is released from the hospital is the older lady of the couple that sat in the waiting room the night of Peeta's accident; the ones who let Katniss borrow their rings. She remembers talking to the woman when she returned the rings. Her name is Ethel Trinket- Abernathy but she had told Katniss to call her Effie. Her husband's name was Haymitch Abernathy. Yet, Katniss is beyond surprised when she sees the woman and even more surprised that her husband is not with her.

Effie sets down the little pink hand crocheted blanket and hand sewn teddy bear she made on the bedside table before going right over and hugging Peeta. She tells him how lucky he is and how happy she is that he was able to see the birth of his daughter. She then turns to Katniss and smiles as she sees the little bundle in her arms. The older women sits down and Katniss hands Abigail to her. As Effie holds Abigail she remembers how it felt to hold her own children when they were born. They talk for a little while and Katniss learns that Haymitch passed away a couple of months ago, As Effie tells Katniss she feels tears well up in her eyes. Katniss comforts her and soon after Effie leaves for home after hugging both Katniss and Peeta and wishing them well.

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Nearly ten years later, Peeta Mellark sits reading the newspaper while eating breakfast with Katniss, Abigail and their five year old son, Michael when he comes across Ethel Trinket-Abernathy's obituary. The obituary was written and submitted by one of the nurses that took care of Peeta. The article talks about her devotion to her husband and children and her love of volunteering at the hospital. The most surprising part is when the obituary mentions Effie's favorite memory and she recounts the fateful day that she and her husband loaned the rings to Katniss. She had told the nurse that she was amazed by the amount of love the couple shared. The article ends with a quote that Effie said she loved; one Katniss and Peeta are very familiar with.

_I'll always love you, forever and always…_

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**This one shot kinda got away from me and ended up taking a different turn at the end. I hope you all liked it and stick by me as I try and find more time to write. Thank you for all your support!**

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**Have a great day/ night/ weekend/ week/ month! –THGgoddess4ever :)**


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